Anaerobic digestion of a mixture of cheese whey, poultry waste and cattle dung: a study of the use of adsorbents to improve digester performance

This paper-describes the results of a study aimed at improving the efficiency of anaerobic digestion of a mixture of cattle dung, poultry waste and cheese whey at a ratio of 2 : 1 : 3 (w/w on dry weight basis) in terms of total gas production, methane content and process stability by adding various adsorbents. The adsorbents appeared to improve the digester performance, for example about a two-fold enhancement in total gas production with 17% enriched methane content were achieved with the addition of 4 g litre(-1) of silica gel.     

A comparison of the efficiency of the bottom samplers used in benthic studies off Cochin

The efficiency of the van Veen and Foerst Petersen grabs used in sampling the bottom fauna near the Cochin Harbour area has been compared in two selected stations having different hydrographic and substratic conditions. The results indicate that the heavier grab is generally more efficient than a lighter one, especially when the substratum is sandy. An examination of the quantity of the sediment and the total number of species brought by the two grabs showed that the design of the van Veen is superior to the Petersen type grab used in the present study. However, due to the highly patchy distribution of the organisms the superiority of the van Veen was less evident when a comparison was made of the total number of animals sampled by the two grabs. When the distribution is bunched it is suggested that samples are drawn, as far as possible, from the same sampling position. The grabs should also be of the same weight and biting area.     

Vigilance monitoring for operator safety: A simulation study on highway driving

INTRODUCTION: Alertness of individuals operating vehicles, aircrafts, and machinery is a pre-requisite for safety of the individual and for avoiding economic losses. In this paper, we present a new technique for determining the alertness level of the operator and elaborate the methodology for the specific case of highway driving METHOD: Our hypothesis is that the time derivative of force exerted by the driver at the vehicle-human interfaces can be used to construct a signature of individual driving styles and to discern different levels of alertness RESULTS: In this study, we present experimental results corroborating this hypothesis and introduce a parameter, 'spikiness index,' for the time series data of the force derivative to quantify driver alertness IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: The low cost, ruggedness, and low-volume data processing requirements of the proposed technique give it a competitive edge over existing predominantly image processing based vigilance monitoring systems.     

Effect of temperature and retention time on biomethanation of cheese whey-poultry waste-cattle dung

Various conditions, such as temperature, total solid content, cattle dung-poultry waste-cheese whey ratio, retention time and stirring, were optimized with an ultimate aim of improving anaerobic digestion. Maximum gas production (2.2 litres litre(-1) of digester day(-1)) with enriched methane content (62% CH(4)) was found with a retention time of 10 days, having a loading rate of 6.0 g total solid litre(-1) of digester day(-1) at 40 degrees C, and total solid of 6% (w/v) using a mixture of cattle dung, poultry waste and cheese whey in the ratio of 2:1:3 (w/w).     

A pilot-plant study for destruction of PCBs in contaminated soils using fluidized bed combustion technology

Destruction of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in contaminated soils and wastes using circulating fluidized bed combustion (CFBC) technology was studied using a pilot plant and simulated waste material. The results show that the technology is effective and particularly promising for treatment of PCB-containing materials like the toxic sludge from a large contaminated site. Destruction of the toxics in the gas phase appears to be very fast, and over 99.9999% destruction and removal efficiency can be achieved in the temperature range 875-880 degrees C. Heat transfer in the fluidized bed also appears adequate. Toxic residues in treated soil can be reduced to very low levels. Rate-controlling factors of the decontamination process are analyzed, and key issues for determination of the process conditions are discussed.